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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. season — in sport
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cell — a phone
  10. content — the amount
  11. cell — in biology
  12. press — to push
  13. track — a path
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. content — happy
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. track — to keep track
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com